Mumbai: For a Monday evening, the mood is upbeat at a small office near Arthur Road Naka with Shiv Sena (UBT), MNS and NCP (SP) flags and banners adorning it as well as the pandal outside. The office functions as a Sena (UBT) shakha. While UBT workers wait for the arrival of party chief Uddhav Thackeray, former mayor and three-term corporator Kishori Pednekar, who is contesting the BMC elections from ward 199—which comprises parts of Curry Road, Chinchpokli, Lower Parel and Dhobi Ghat, among others—arrives at the shakha. As Pednedkar, who is banking on her past work and personal connect with voters, settles in, local party workers and office bearers including those from the MNS pour in to meet her. She tells her colleagues the younger generation needs to be taught the history of the Shiv Sena. Pednekar keeps emphasising that the two brothers, Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, are coming together for the Marathi manoos. A little later, excitement breaks through among the workers as Uddhav Thackeray and son Tejas arrive and greet party workers. After they depart from the shakha, Pednekar steps out with a group of workers led by a band for campaigning on the N M Joshi Marg including areas such as Mogul House and Shiv Shakti Park after 7.30 pm. While walking on the footpath, Pednekar reminds a pan shop owner “humne chota bada dekha nahin” and tells him “sabko bolo mashaal”. While she treads the pavement she calls out to her voters by their names and appeals to them to vote for the mashaal. A little later Pednekar enters a balwadi-cum-yoga centre and does a high five to the children present and asks them to say her name and what is her party symbol, and appeals to them to inform their parents. In the bylanes, women residing in tenements and buildings welcome Pednekar with a haldi-kumkum ritual and in some areas she is welcomed with a burst of crackers, as workers shout slogans such as ‘Water, meter, gutter; kaam karnar Pednekar’.Pednekar has promised completion of pending works including issues with water supply and that she will pursue cluster redevelopment of Mhada buildings, which has already been initiated. She tells voters about the work carried out by her and her party leaders during Covid. Pednekar is contesting against Shiv Sena’s Rupal Kusale, wife of a former party colleague; Shashikala Jaiswar of BSP; and Nandini Jadhav VBA.
